ICYMI -- FEMA HOSTS FOURTH ANNUAL CIVIL RIGHTS SUMMIT, FOCUSES ON
ADVANCING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20231114/icymi-fema-hosts-fourth-annual-civil-rights-summit-focuses-advancing]


Release Date: 
十一月 14, 2023 

WASHINGTON -- On Nov. 1-2, 2023, FEMA hosted its fourth annual
civil rights summit. The agency assembled a diverse and experienced
lineup of speakers from both the federal family and community
organizations to discuss advancing environmental justice and civil
rights in our work.

“We’re at a turning point in the way we look at and assess natural
hazards,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “We need to end
the cycle of response and recovery and start building the resilience
our communities need from the jump. And we need to do it equitably and
with the different needs of communities across the nation in mind.
This is the reason why instilling equity as the foundation of
emergency management is the no. 1 goal of our FEMA Strategic
Plan.”

In addition to speakers from FEMA, presenters represented nonprofit,
federal and academic organizations, including the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, the U.S. Fire Administration, Elizabeth City State,
Stanford University, Yale and Rice Universities, Thriving Earth
Exchange, Little Growers Inc., OUT for Sustainability, among others. A
full list of speakers is available here
[https://www.fema.gov/event/fema-civil-rights-summit-4]. 

During the summit, presenters shared their wealth of knowledge and
information gleaned from their areas of expertise and personal
experiences. Speakers from FEMA focused specifically on how the agency
is working to make advancing environmental justice and civil rights a
priority in the work it does now and into the future.

“Whether it’s through the Justice40 Initiative, the creation of
Community Disaster Resilience Zones, the Building Resilient
Infrastructure and Communities grant program or many of our other
initiatives, FEMA has been working nonstop to find and help
underserved communities at risk of being left behind following a
disaster,” said FEMA Deputy Administrator Erik A. Hooks.

Topics of discussion at the summit included environmental justice and
housing, as well as the future outlook for environmental justice in
emergency management, climate change and health.

“FEMA greatly appreciates the willingness of the presenters,
panelists and participants to engage and share their experiences as we
continue to strive towards ensuring equity for all communities before,
during and after disasters,” said Leslie Saucedo, FEMA’s Office
of Equal Rights Director. 

According to one of the presenters, Holmes Hummel, PhD, Stanford
University, “With more than a thousand attendees, the Office of
Equal Rights demonstrated powerful convening capacity and highlighted
ways that strategies to advance environmental justice can accelerate
investments in preparedness where they are needed most.”

During the summit, non-profit organizations shared information about
their work in communities. They also discussed the positive impact
federal funding can have in supporting grassroots organizations.
 Presenter Christina Cummings, Partnership for Southern Equity, VP
Operations said, “Federal funds can give non-profit organizations
the opportunity to posture themselves for long term sustainability.”

The summit further emphasizes FEMA’s commitment to prioritize
environmental justice, advancing President Biden’s top priority of
ensuring that at least 40% of grants
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20220715/fema-announces-programs-included-biden-harris-administrations-justice40]
and assistance reach historically underserved communities. To achieve
this goal, FEMA has worked hard to successfully deliver programs to
send historic funding to communities large and small who desperately
need help building resilience by:

	* Announcing $3 billion
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20230829/fema-announces-nearly-3-billion-funding-selections-drive-resilience-climate]
in climate mitigation grant selections to help communities enhance
their own resilience efforts.  
	* Increasing the number of communities participating in the direct
technical assistance program within Building Resilient Infrastructure
and Communities (BRIC)
[https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities]
to support to communities and tribal nations that may not have the
resources to begin climate resilience planning and project solution
design.
	* Announcing the first round of community disaster resilience zones
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20230906/fema-designates-first-communities-receive-targeted-assistance-hazards]
across all 50 states and territories, including the District of
Columbia.

For more information about FEMA’s External Civil Rights Division,
visit External Civil Rights Division | FEMA.gov
[https://www.fema.gov/about/offices/equal-rights/civil-rights].
Contact the Office of Equal Rights at 833-285-7448, 711 or Video Relay
Services (VRS) or FEMA-CivilRightsOffice@fema.dhs.gov.